


The illusion of heartbreak

by I_never_was_a_uke



Category: Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Everyone Is Gay, Everyone Needs A Hug, Genjutsu, Heavy Angst, Hypnotic genjutsu, I Tried, I Will Go Down With This Ship, I like knowing what you think, Incest, Itachi isn't evil, Just not the best at planning, M/M, Minor Character Death, More stuff will be added as I go along, Sasuke is mentally unstable, Uchiha Shisui Lives, Uke Uchiha Itachi, like ten seconds of comedy, please comment
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-27
Updated: 2019-10-14
Packaged: 2020-07-21 06:23:49
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 8,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19997308
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/I_never_was_a_uke/pseuds/I_never_was_a_uke
Summary: Shisui held no part in the Uchiha massacre nor in the coup d'etat. As far as Shisui knows everything was fine when he left for his year long mission in the rain country. That's why when he returns to find his clan slaughtered and his younger cousin traumatized he can't help but hate the boy responsible for it, even if it was the one he loved the most.





	1. Chapter 1

There were times where Shisui wished he could die. Shisui knew this was one of those times. Shisui sat in the hall of a hospital as they checked up on Sasuke. He could hear the whispers from the nurses saying things like, “Mental break.” and, “Too much stress.” but what clued him in the most were the words “Prodigy gone rouge.” The soft click of the door brought the teen out of his thoughts as a doctor came and confronted him.  _ Just what have you done Itachi... _

“There was a minor cut to his shoulder, nothing that couldn’t be treated.” The doctor opened the door to let Shisui in. Sasuke felt like he had died, the light behind his eyes was now a dull black and his skin was bleach. As Shisui walked in Sasuke trailed his eyes on the elder, watching his every step. It was a relief for both of them to see a relative alive rather than in a body bag. Still this wasn’t enough to bring Sasuke out of his perturbed state, he didn’t think anything would. “It’s his mind that isn’t fully here anymore.” Shisui could immediately identify this as the effects of the tsukuyomi. 

_ Itachi used something so powerful against his own little brother, how despicable. _ Shisui visibly grimaced. “Forgive me, I just can’t believe that Itachi would do something like this.” The poison in the words betrayed their true meaning. He genuinely couldn’t bring himself to believe that  _ his Itachi;  _ gentle, pacifict Itachi was able to commit such an atrocity, He wanted to deny everything that Itachi had done, but having been shown the empty stained halls of the Uchiha compound as well as several of the corpses that were recovered from the massacre there was no denying it. Itachi had killed the entire clan in cold blood.  _ Itachi is a traitor.  _

“Well it’s true.” Sasuke’s voice was hoarse due to lack of use. “Itachi, Itachi killed mom and dad. He killed everyone!” Sasuke slammed his hand on the hospital bed, his vitals were spiking. “I want him dead! I want to see him die!” Sasuke was now crying tears of frustration, a feeling both he and Shisui shared. After finally getting the younger Uchiha to calm down Shisui was pulled aside by the doctor stating that Sasuke should be stable enough to go back home. This seemed like a cruel joke directed towards the two Uchiha.  _ What home? There is no home to go back to.  _

The walk from the hospital was a long and silent one. Fortunately for them Shisui was allowed to rent an apartment closer to the village. There wasn’t even time to think about the mission he had just returned from, the planned _suicide_ mission he had just returned from. No one cared about that now. Both of them were just as anguished and heartbroken as the other. They had lost neighbors, friends, family, **_Itachi._** _No,_ Shisui scolded himself. _Thoughts like that hold too much love, I can’t love him after what he’s done. I just wish I knew why.. but.._

_ From this moment on, the word Itachi will only be looked at with scorn and hatred.  _

♔

It was obvious that sleep would be an unattainable dream for several days at the very least. Somehow Sasuke had managed to shut his eyes long enough to drift off. Shisui on the other hand wasn’t so unlucky. He found himself standing at the mirror into his sharingan.  _ All this,,, just to test some stupid power?!  _ Sasuke had explained Itachi’s reasoning for killing the clan.  _ If I had only been there… No, I refuse to blame anyone other than Itachi for this. He was the one who killed his family, he was the one who betrayed the leaf, is the one that tricked us all those years with that fake, soft smile.  _ Shisui could feel his own anguish well up inside him. He echoed Sasuke’s desires, had Shisui been able to see through the illusion Itachi set up for everyone, set up for  _ him  _ and  _ Sasuke _ , he would have done something long ago. The mirror shattered under the hard glare, followed by the scream of Sasuke in the other room. Shisui ran over to see that Sasuke was in the middle of the floor experiencing a night terror. Shaking the young boy awake Shisui was greeted by screaming and crying. 

Sasuke struggled and hit the ground with as much force as he could muster. “Weak! I’m too weak! “ He tried to punch again only for Shisui to grab his fist.

“It’s alright Sasuke!.We’ll find a way to make him pay. Everytime I think of him I just can’t get over how he lied to us. He probably even planned for me die in the mission I was in.” Shisui’s sudden realization brought on more sadness than he had intended.” But hurting the floorboards isn’t going to solve anything.”

“Then what are we going to do…? If I try to fight him like this I’ll- I’ll.” Sasuke choked up.

“You’re going to be strong enough to kill Itachi.We’ll rip him apart with our own bare hands if we have to.” Shisui grabbed onto Sasuke’s shoulder. “Starting tomorrow I will make sure you become strong enough to kill him.” For a brief moment Sasuke was scared of the look Shisui was giving, but quickly followed it with the assurance he needed. “Rest now, training starts tomorrow.” Shisui patted Sasuke’s back, sending him off to get what sleep he could. Shisui decided to follow his own advice and at least rest his eyes for a few hours. Yet, every time his mind slipped just a little farther away a single thought would slip in and ring like a siren. 

_ Why? _

_ Because I love you. _


	2. Chapter 2

Itachi lingered in the Hokage tower. Standing in front of the third Hokage after having killed his clan only three years ago left him with a bad taste in his tongue, however, it was his mission. He was just delivering the latest briefing on the Akatsuki’s missions, trying his best to keep his prideful air around him. 

“Ah I see. The Akatsuki has just recently added a Jashinist to it’s arsenal. This is starting to become even more dangerous than we had anticipated…” Hiruzen tapped his pipe before bringing it to his lips. In his opinion he was far too old to be dealing with this but he would continue for the sake of the village. “And the jinchuuriki… Do you have any ideas how we should move forward with this?”

Itachi had been kneeling before the Hokage, carefully opening an eye to face the elderly man. “I would suggest waiting. Any movements made towards the Akatsuki could result in a new Shinobi war. If anything increase protection around Naruto.” Hiruzen nodded in agreement. 

“I can’t do much for the boy without the village becoming envious and harming him. I’ll have to do this in a way they wouldn’t notice,” 

Itachi turned in full attention towards the Hokage. “Hokage-sama, If I could recommend anyone… Kakashi-sen… Kakashi would very likely be the best option.” Itachi knew that requesting something like this would be more of a gamble but if he was right… “He is the only other capable Sharingan user in the village. Since they are likely to send myself and my partner I’m afraid I would not be able to hold back in those circumstances so it would be best to have someone who understands the sharingan.” 

Hiruzen paused.  _ ‘Oh right, the poor boy still has yet to find out…’  _ “Right, I will find a way to incorporate him into Naruto’s daily life.”

Finally standing up, Itachi hesitated to ask. “And my brother, what has become of my brother?” Everything hinged on the elderly man’s response. Shinobi were supposed to be emotionless killing machines, yet for everyone there was a crack in the facade. If there is a shinobi who has no cracks, then they cease to be human. For Itachi this crack was his brother; his brother was the reason he wanted to make the shinobi world a better place. His brother was the reason he asked to be in the Akatsuki. His brother was his reason for bearing the sins of both the town and his clan. 

_ ‘To add Shisui’s survival to the weight on his shoulders would be nothing short of murder.’ _

-

While leaving Konoha Itachi decided to make a small visit of his own. It had been well after midnight so he assumed his brother had been asleep by then. Now the Uchiha found himself sitting just outside his brother’s window, watching the boy grab what little peace he could get. ‘ _ Watching him grow up like this… I wish I could have been a better brother…’  _ Itachi turned on his heel, staring at the floor saddeningly as he finally left the village. He had jumped far enough away that he hadn’t heard the crash of a cup hitting the floor in shock. 

_ ‘Was that-. Is that-. Should I chase after him..’  _ “ Itachi.” Was all Shisui could muster as he watched a long haired figure jump off into the night, no bodies trailing behind him, not a single shriek coming from the villagers. Itachi had left just as Shisui had seen him do so hundreds of times before.

The next day couldn’t have come quick enough for the eldest Uchiha. Shisui had been stuck supervising a group of genin on some minor mission after a night without any rest but when he was in the hokage office a fire burned within him. 

“Hokage-sama, were there any reported sightings of Itachi Uchiha last night?” Charcoal eyes wished to burn red. He held his stone cold exterior but on the inside he was a mess of unconditional love and hatred. 

Hiruzen had his back turned to the Uchiha, his face buried in a scroll. “No, why would you ask?”

“No reason.” 

-

“How was school today Sasuke?” Shisui sat at a table going over several papers as the young boy attempted to sneak in unnoticed. “Those are some nasty marks you have there. You sure you don’t want me to clean those up for you?”

Sasuke tried his best to hide the bruises on his arms, but that didn’t account for the scratches all across his face. “I got into a fight.” 

Not taking his eyes away from the notes in front of him, Shisui continued their conversation. “Was it that kid you keep on calling names?” The silence was more than enough to cue him in on the fact that he was right. “You do know that maybe if you stopped calling him Usuratonkachi all the time that might reduce the amount of fights you guys have, right?”

“Well what am I supposed to do if he keeps on trying to compete with me all the damn time?!” Sasuke pouted a bit. “Honestly it’s almost like that dobe wants me to punch him, always wearing that smug big smile. Or glaring at me with his buggy blue eyes.” He tensed a bit as Shisui got up to get the rubbing alcohol. 

“If I didn’t know any better I would say that this was a crush.” Shisui heard the door to their pantry slam closed. “Tell me Sasuke, do you have a crush on Naruto?” 

“Hell no! And don’t you dare talk to me unless it’s for food or training!“ Shisui couldn’t help but laugh at this. His laughter was further echoed when he spotted Sasuke trying to reach for a pile of magazines on the other side of the room without leaving the pantry. 

_ ‘Yeah, maybe it wasn’t him last night.; _


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura was glad to have a small breath of fresh air after what had been the disaster of the mission in the waves. She decided that she would spend the day visiting Ino for a bit. ‘I’d hate to admit it but… I need an outside opinion on this.’ Sasuke had been spending the majority of his time fighting and hanging out with Naruto, it felt as if none of them had time for her anymore. The loneliness of the day crept onto her more and more until it became almost unbearable to be in her home.

“They’re always together, am I missing something?” **_‘They’re probably plotting something! Maybe Sasuke is asking Naruto’s help for asking me out~’_ **. Sakura curled up on a park bench. “It’s not that.” She said. “I’ve noticed the way Sasuke looks at me and it feels almost… empty. Especially after what I said about Naruto that once… Him not having parents.”

“He has all the right to be mad.” Ino sat next to Sakura. “Saying something like that is messed up. “ 

“But it’s true! You can’t be raised right if you don’t have any parents!” Sakura held her voice back, her mother had told her the same, as did her father. Sakura hadn’t been stupid, she could tell that for some reason people seemed to be against Naruto no matter what the boy did. _‘But it has to be for a reason, right?’_

“Yeah, but you can’t act like it’s their fault they don’t have any parents to begin with!” Ino defended, she knew Sakura hadn’t always been like this. “I bet no one would seriously ask for their parents to go away, not even someone like Naruto or Sasuke.”

“Their? Wait, you don’t mean…” Sakura finally pieced it together. Their loneliness; Sasuke’s lack of interest in anything other than training with his cousin and Naruto. Naruto’s lack of interest in anything besides becoming Hokage. How intensely they defend each other in spite of all the constant fights.”Sasuke doesn’t have parents either, does he?”

Ino looked forward, a slight mix of disappointment and relief on her face. “You know, a few years ago my family got a very large order for mourning flowers, we didn’t know who would ask for so many, over three hundred boquets. All I knew was that for that entire funeral service stood only two boys. One of them was Sasuke. “ She started twirling the flower inside of them. “And if not having parents reminds Sasuke of that, imagine what Naruto must feel every time he has to think about it. The two only have each other to share it with.”

“What do you mean?” Sakura was beginning to put her thoughts together, but she couldn’t understand why the screaming in her head wouldn’t stop. Ino’s patience and friendship didn’t waver though.

“I mean that if you continue acting like this, you won’t even get to keep anyone as a friend, not even with your teammates.” Ino tried to be as direct and nice as possible. “Which is probably the most I can hope for now between me and Sasuke, even Naruto.”

Sakura looked at her blonde rival in shock. _‘Did she just-”_ **_“Cha! One out of the way! Now if only I could get that damned Naru-!’_ **Ino snapped her fingers, bringing Sakura back to the real world. “C’mon! I already helped you with your problem, now you’re going to help me back at the shop!” Ino dusted herself off as she stood, putting her hands on her hips as she started to walk away, never intending on going too far without Sakura. 

“Hey wait! You never mentioned anything about that!” Sakura said as she followed Ino through town, the thought of losing everyone ringing in her head. _‘Be a friend… alright…’_

\--

Naruto charged Sasuke head on, shadow clones bursting into smoke as Sasuke made several hits to find the real one. Just as the raven launched towards the Naruto hiding at the very back of the lake another two jumped from the river ending the fight in the water. Unfortunately this left Naruto at a disadvantage. Sasuke used his sharingan to find Naruto and launch the two of them back onto land. 

Just before either of them could land another blow on each other Kakashi appeared between them, book in hand. “Alright that’s enough. Anymore of this and Shisui will have my head. “ Naruto grimaced before pulling away from his teacher. Naruto could practically feel the shit eating grin on Sasuke’s face.

“I guess I win this time, usuratonkachi.” 

“I told you not to call me that!” Naruto glared and crossed his arms “Besides, you only won cause Kakashi stepped in! I wasn’t even able to pull out my finishing move!” 

“Of course someone like you would have a finishing move.” Sasuke rolled his eyes before extending his fist. “Same time tomorrow?” 

It took Naruto a full second to finally stop pouting and fist bump Sasuke.” Yeah! Cause there’s no way I’m leaving things like this!” Naruto returned the smirk with a determined smile. 

Kakashi couldn’t help but think back on how much this reminded him of himself and Obito. He wished that his counterpart had gotten along with him like these two seemed to be doing. _‘Now, if we could only get Sakura to-.’_

“Hey!” Sakura called out from the entrance of the training ground. 

Sasuke stiffened, having the slightest hope that his teammate wouldn’t focus solely on him this time while Naruto smiled and greeted her. “Hey Sakura!” He didn’t expect a response but he was pleasantly surprised when she handed him a pair of coupons for Ichiraku’s ramen as well as other food stops all over Konoha. 

“I figured… That I haven’t really been the nicest towards you so I want to try and make it up. If that’s alright with you.” Sakura glanced at Sasuke before turning her full attention to Naruto. She could tell the fond look in Sasuke’s eyes wasn’t for her, even now she wished it was. _‘I just gotta try, try to be a friend. They probably need that more...’_

“Sakura… Thanks! How did you even get so many?” 

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Well duh, by eating out you idiot.” She stopped herself before she could go any further. She knew there had to be a limit to her insults. Meanwhile Kakashi and Naruto were glowing, if Sakura was trying to limit herself even a little, this could be a great time to build up their teamwork. “We-. We could go together sometime. As teammates.” Sakura was hesitant to suggest, 

“How about tomorrow?” Sasuke mentioned, still unsure of Sakura’s intention, but he thought that it would make a decent enough date between him and Naruto. “Why don’t you train with us?”

Sakura lit up but saw how Naruto looked happy just being with Sasuke for that day. It was still something that she couldn’t put herself through seeing, at least not yet.” Sorry, I have to help Ino at her shop before 6. She’s… been a great help and I wanted to thank her.”

“Suit yourself.” Sasuke dismissed a bit with a shrug. “So tomorrow at…?” 

“Ichiraku! I swear teme they have the best ramen in the whole village! Iruka sensei always takes me there and…” Naruto continued and Sasuke seemed content with just listening to him ramble. Sakura hadn’t really paid attention to how happy Sasuke would get, in fact, before they became a team she hadn’t even seen Sasuke so much as smile. 

_‘Happy because of Naruto.’_

-

“I see, so Orochimaru plans on attacking the leaf village does he?” There was restraint in Itachi’s voice, he had tried so hard to protect the leaf village from threats such as these yet here was the possibility of another great shinobi war. 

“Yes, however this could be beneficial to us. While their guard is down I want the two of you to capture the Jinchuuriki and bring him here.” The illusion of their leader began to disappear, finalizing his orders. 

“Did you hear that Itachi? We’re going back to your home sweet home. Maybe we can say hello to that little brother of yours?” Kisame joked while the two left the cave they had made refuge in the night before. 

“My foolish little brother…” The words were cold, practiced. Itachi had rehearsed time and time again what he would say, phrases to make Sasuke’s blood boil. He had to get Sasuke to hate him even more. 

“Don’t you ever miss it? To the point that you just want to go back?” Kisame was being sincere, but not out of care for Itachi. “Because if you do, I’ll have to kill you myself.”


	4. Chapter 4

With the three Grass Village genin dead Anko had to be summoned, there was just something wrong with the fact that they were missing their faces. “It’s as if they were melted off.” Shisui crouched down to turn one of them over. Anko couldn’t help dig her nails into the flesh of the palm of her hand. 

_ ‘It has to be him, but what does he want from Konoha…?’  _ Shisui couldn’t help but watch her from the corner of his eye. Anko had been Shisui’s best friend since the massacre, being one of the very few people to understand the feeling of betrayal at the hands of someone you love. Anko knew of Shisui’s story with Itachi, Shisui on the other hand only knew chunks of Anko’s. Anko gritted her teeth before finally acknowledging the three other Jonin. “Go warn the Hokage. Shisui and I will locate the team in the forest.” 

Kotetsu didn’t like the look in his colleague's eyes, a burning mix of failure and hatred boiling to the surface before the two finally left. Anko knew she had to kill Orochimaru to make things right again, All the years of pain and abuse at his hands could now be put to rest just by killing him. A feeling both Shisui and Anko shared, yet for different people. 

Shisui knew of the power Orochimaru had given Anko and the cost it took for her to keep it. At first the eldest Uchiha couldn’t keep Sasuke’s safety out of his mind, Sasuke was like the brother he never had. So, watching as with each passing leap they got closer and closer to the forest’s center, he grew more and more worried. 

“We need to split up. It’s a risk but judging from how large this forest is, finding the imposters could be almost impossible.” Shisui stopped on one of the tree branches, his gaze never leaving his friend. “Once we find him, I’ll make sure to flair my chakra that way you can find him.” Anko nods before the two disappeared to different sides of the forest. 

-

Naruto was out of the fight, fear gripping Sasuke and Sakura as the only person doing anything to the ninja was now lying unconscious. Sasuke couldn’t believe he had let the Grass ninja scare him into letting his teammate get hurt.  _ ‘What? Don’t tell me you’re scared.’  _ The words of both Naruto and Sakura ringing in his head, bringing him back to that crucial moment when he was eight. ‘ _ Run, cling to life… ‘  _ “No!” Sasuke’s eyes swirled into their crimson anger.  _ ‘Why is it whenever it’s someone I care about… I can’t protect them. If I can’t fight here, what makes me think I can take him on!’ _

_ ’  _

Finally the Uchiha lunged at the Grass nin, throwing a barrage of kicks and fists that they dodged and blocked with ease. Yet Sasuke didn’t stop his attacks, not even with all the punches to the gut and to his face. With each passing hit Sasuke started to realize the true power of his sharingan, he could see everything seconds before it happened. With this new found information he finally grabbed the other Nin and hurled the both of them toward a large tree branch. Hearing the cracking of his enemy’s skull was relieving in a way Sasuke couldn’t even describe. Before the substitution could fall limp Sasuke had moved out of the way and brought up his wires. He would finish this fight off with a jutsu Shisui taught him. As the wires restrained the Grass nin Sasuke made his hand signs, making sure to put all his chakra into this one attack.

“Fire style: Dragon Flame Justu!” Within seconds the ninja was swallowed by the flames, her screams echoing across that section of the forest just enough to catch the attention of the other Uchiha. 

Now with little chakra left, Sasuke began to fall to his feet. However, before Sakura could run to his side a horrifying sight crawled out from behind the ash. The two genin began to panic with Sasuke directly in front of an exposed Orochimaru. Now paralyzed, Sasuke was at the mercy of Orochimaru. Even as Orochimaru extended his neck to bite the young Uchiha Sasuke couldn’t tear his eyes away. If he had, he wouldn’t have bore witness to one of the few things that Sasuke would declare a miracle. Due to some unexpected kunai skills and the perfect timing of the other, Sakura had managed to pull Sasuke out of the way of the bite while Shisui took the brunt of it to his arm.

This came as a shock to all four of them. Orochimaru was unaware of the fact that Itachi’s old lover was still around, he would use this information to his advantage later. “Run!” Shisui yelled as he fought against the pain in his arm and the thing causing it. Just as he said earlier he gave the signal to Anko and managed to release himself from the bite. A fresh burning sensation flooded his body as the mark finally took its shape.there. In spite of the many years he spent as an anbu Shisui couldn’t help but scream. It was as if every ounce of his hate was turned into a physical feeling waiting to burst out of him. This made fighting the snake summoner all the more difficult. 

As soon as the team was out of harm’s reach Shisui did what he could to hold off the Sannin. Shisui had landed one or two good hits on Orochimaru before finally deciding to risk his sharingan. He had been avoiding using them as it had begun to affect his regular vision to the point where he needed contacts. This completely turned the battle around.

Shisui was still waiting for Anko, however this didn’t mean he couldn’t leave Orochimaru with a broken limb or two. Within seconds Shisui had stabbed Orochimaru several times, this assault only being brought to a holt when the pain grew worse.

“I can see you holding the same look as that boy. Tell me…” Orochimaru was suddenly in front of Shisui. “Were you betrayed by the same person?” 

“Shisui!” Anko called out as she manifested snakes of her own to attack her former sensei.

“Oh! So you are Shisui then! I’m sure Itachi will be more than happy to see you then.” Orochimaru joked sarcastically as he dodged Anko’s attacks. Shisui revealed the mark and Anko gasped. She had one similar to his just sealed up due to the power trip it would leave the user on. 

Taking steady steps Shisui brought himself to his feet. With a flash of his sharingan Orochimaru found himself paralyzed under a genjutsu. Anko took this as her chance and used her own snakes to devour her former teacher.  _ ‘It’ll be poetic in a way. He got killed by a jutsu he made.’ _ As several snakes took chunks out of the body Anko saw it all slip into mud. With a cry of frustration Anko slammed her hands into a tree, nearly breaking it. That’s when Shisui finally allowed himself to drop to the floor.

“Shisui!”


	5. Chapter 5

The Chunin Exams should have gone on without incident. Shikamaru was decidedly at the level of Chunin due to his reasoning, patience and intellect. Ino’s words cut deep enough into Sakura to silence the doubt she had been holding since childhood as well as getting the pinkette the win in the round. Neji had lost his fight with Naruto but was able to win back his control in life. Naruto was slowly watching the fruits of his efforts come into play as several of the people in the crowd cheered him on in a way that would have brought a younger version of himself to tears. 

Things should have been perfect. Even with the tip that Jiraiya had gained about Orochimaru it almost felt like nothing was amiss. Until Hiruzen questioned why the Kazekage was wearing blue instead of green. Now everyone from Konoha stood in front of a casket. Flowers growing on solid wood as everyone held onto the cherished reality that Hiruzen had left them, all except Shisui. 

Shisui took his spot alongside Kakashi, Asuma and Kurenai. His mind still lingering on the parting words the elderly man had left him just before the second part of the exams. _“Reality isn’t all that you can see. You may have the sharingan but you still lack the ability to see the truth.”_ Watching him sink into the ground to finally rest seemed almost idyllic to Shisui, especially for a man shouldering the regrets of a hokage. After the funeral Shisui was approached by an unmoved Danzo, the blank expression of a killer covering what little the man had left of his face. 

“Shisui Uchiha, under the absence of a current Hokage the elders and I are tasked with making every decision for the good of the Hidden Leaf.” After receiving a nod from the Uchiha Danzo continued. “Then you should understand that the council has decided to allow your return to the Anbu Black Ops as immediate as possible. We’re willing to give you a position you won’t refuse.” 

Shisui raised an eyebrow, his anticipation causing the seal to glow ever so slightly. “Oh.” In spite of his casual demeanor Shisui couldn’t have been more on edge. Even with his short time within the Anbu Shisui had made a note to never anger Danzo if possible. He had lost his position within the Anbu after the massacre supposedly to give him time to mourn his loved ones yet the true reason never escaped him. He had been too emotionally unstable, anyone sane would have been after the betrayal of the one they loved the hardest. 

“Yes.” Danzo cleared his throat. “A position as a tracking ninja. Your job would be to find missing and rogue ninja and eliminate them unless told otherwise.” Danzo couldn’t help but feel his lip crack slightly upward in a perverse glee. The Third Hokage had been a thorn in his side for decades but now that he was dead Danzo felt like this was his chance to set his plan into motion. He had yet to talk with the elders about the next Hokage. His plans could fall perfectly into place. “Come tomorrow you will be summoned for the specifics of your… ‘special’ mission.”

Everything Shisui had ever wished for and feared had been confirmed in this statement. Danzo was going to send him to hunt down Itachi. It was a logical move since even before that night Danzo had called him the strongest Uchiha alive. Although, if Itachi managed to kill their clan in a single night then he had been hiding more power than Shisui would like to accept. Even with the curse mark giving him an edge to his abilities there came a certain anxiety Shisui could never escape. Even with the stone cold hated he felt towards Itachi, Shisui still couldn’t erase the burning pain his love for Itachi gave him. 

What finally got Shisui to stop was when Kakashi came to visit him a week later and had placed a caring hand over the lonely Uchiha’s shoulder. The Jonin had seen that kind of inner conflict only twice before and both of them were when Kakashi couldn’t bare to look at himself in the mirror. He knew that the best thing for this was to try and distract yourself as much as possible. “Hey Shisui, wanna join the rest of us for drinks? It seems like you haven’t had any adult fun in a while.” Kakashi chuckled softly.

Shisui returned the smile with one of his own before standing up straight. “You look like you need it more Senpai.” He placed a tired hand behind his head. “It must be a living hell having to deal with three lovestruck kids everyday.” 

Kakashi rolled a single eye before extending his hand. “So you know about Sasuke and Naruto?” Shisui nodded and stood up. 

“It’s impossible not to notice. You know what they say about sun and moon types.” Kurenai stepped in, earning herself several confused looks from Kakashi and Shisui. “It’s a myth older than the Village itself where if the right Sun finds their Moon or vice versa the two will never stop loving each other no matter what happens between them. Although this doesn’t just apply to romance.”

After a brief moment of silence Kakashi finally dares to raise his hand as if he’s in a lecture. “I never took you for the romantic type. Even then, does it mean I can only have one of those Sun things or can I keep my group?” Kurenai and Shisui burst out laughing.

“I doubt that’s how it works Kakashi but there’s no time to explain here. Asuma’s waiting for us outside and he said he’s paying this time.” This was immediately followed by a distraught _“Who ever said that?!”_ from the other side of the door earning a cheeky smile from the genjutsu expert. Now as they made their way to the bar they were joined by several other ninjas, all in need of a good relaxing night, 

_“The two will never stop loving each other no matter what happens between them huh?”_


	6. Chapter 6

_ ‘This day would have had to come around eventually.’  _ Itachi passed through the entrance to Konoha with Kisame trailing closely behind. The unnamed ninja that had been placed as a guard now lie slumped over himself as the Akatsuki member and the spy walked side by side.  _ ‘I just wish it hadn’t come to this.’  _

-

A hearty cheer could be heard throughout the small patch of forest a certain blond had found himself in. Naruto had just spent the entire night training. Even though he wasn’t looking for Sakura’s affection anymore, not since he and Sasuke had actually become genuine friends, he still didn’t like the way everyone coddled Sasuke after his fight with Gaara. Sakura didn’t even believe that he was the one who stopped Gaara, no one believed it. Still, it terrified him to see just how close in life he was to going down a path like that.  _ ‘If it wasn’t for ‘ If it wasn’t for Iruka, Shikamaru, Sasuke, everyone I could have...’  _

Finally deciding that he deserved a break Naruto went to Ichiraku’s. The shadow of the third Hokage’s death still loomed over the village. The days brought back a certain memory of another dead Shinobi into Naruto’s mind.  _ "When a person… has something important they want to protect… that's when they can become truly strong."  _ He almost bumped into Konohameru who he believed was coming into the same realization as him. The two even reminisced about their time with the old man. For a good chunk of Naruto’s childhood the third Hokage was one of the few adults who wasn’t too scared to be in the same room as him. Naruto knew that in spite of his best efforts he was the one who lost that day, everyone lost that day.  _ ‘This means if I don’t want anyone close to me to die anymore I’ll have to become truly strong!’  _

This vigor caused Naruto to run towards Ichiraku.  _ ‘But I can’t get stronger on an empty stomach now can I?’  _ Yet, even if his resolve was pure Naruto couldn’t have guessed he lost one of Sakura’s many coupons on his way there, no matter how much he looked. Defeated, Naruto dragged himself back to his small apartment to try and find his missing coupon.

-

Kurenai and Asuma casually met up with Kakashi. From the light blush on Kurenai’s cheeks and the slight smile on Asuma’s lips Kakashi could tell the two were on a date. “Don’t mind me on your date. Me and Sasuke are just going to get something to eat.” Kakashi raised his arms in defense. “If anything, you guys should have gotten up early today, the daybreak had a beautiful sunrise.” Kurenai raised a curious eyebrow at this before spotting the two figures inside of the tea shop out of the corner of her eyes. By the looks of it Asuma also sensed something was wrong. 

“Kakashi? Is the world going to end? This is the first time I’ve ever seen you early for something.” Sasuke’s cool voice came into close distance. In the blink of an eye the two cloaked figures were gone, their tea still steaming. 

“Oh hello Sasuke.” Kakashi smiled just as Asuma and Kurenai disappeared from view. “I wanted to ask if you’d like anything sweet before we start our training. My treat.”

Sasuke glared at the two cups of tea and the two missing team leaders. “I don’t do sweets.”

-

Even with her best Genjutsu Kurenai was no match for Itachi’s natural talent, she believed she never had been. Even when the Uchiha were still a clan Kurenai had always found herself taking the short end of the stick when it came to her specialty. After the massacre she had seen it as the death of an artform she couldn’t help but weep for. She was no Uchiha, but she didn’t want to be. She had trained for so many years and yet  _ it still wasn’t enough. _ She balanced herself on the water but felt as Itachi appeared right behind her. It as clear she was beat yet the Uchiha made no move to finish her off. 

“Kisame, let’s go before their reinforcements arrive.” Itachi was firm and clear, much to Kisame’s protests. “We’re here on a retrieval mission.” Finally Itachi got Kisame to step away from Asuma only for the cold chill of a kunai to slide up his neck. 

“This is the end of the line for the both of you.” 

-

Sasuke sat at the tea shop for what must have felt like an hour. Five minutes into the meal and Kakashi had vanished into thin air just like the other two. There was something no one wanted to tell Sasuke, a pair of things actually. Even when Shisui had gotten his promotion Sasuke still wasn’t allowed to know what kind of job he was in or what important mission he was on. ‘ _ With how he’s acting, Shisui is starting to look a lot like he did before…’  _

Storming out of the dango shop Sasuke stalked his way towards Kakashi’s home. Standing around in the room were Gai, Kurenai, Asuma, Shisui. While Sasuke wanted to question why Shisui hadn’t left for his secret mission already what drew his attention was his sensei, lying comatose on the floor. “What happened here?!” 

Shisui turned to Sasuke with a soft smile. He had just been briefed on the situation but he knew that Sasuke wouldn’t be able to handle Itachi’s return. In fact, he couldn’t even handle it himself even though this was part of the mission he requested. “Nothing, Just hanging aroun-” 

Aoba barged into the room. “Is it true that Itachi’s back and he’s looking for Naruto?!” If Gai could kill Aoba he would, everyone would. 

-

Naruto heard a soft, rather polite knock on the door. He assumed it had been Jiraiya since he’s just left to go on a date but when he opened the door, he came to wish he hadn’t been alone. ‘ _ He looks too much like- ‘ _

_ ‘Sasuke’s friend.’  _ “Naruto Uzumaki, you’re coming with us.” Itachi dragged Naruto out of the room while Kisame stepped back, he even offered to chop off one of Naruto’s legs for an easier carry. Itachi denied it, much to his partner’s dismay. “Ah, so you’re back.”

“Itachi!” Sasuke’s eyes began to swirl into the sharingan. He was happy they had made it in time but he wished this victory would only be his. “We’re here to kill you.” Sasuke charged his chidori and lunged at his elder brother. While Sasuke’s movements weren’t that hard to dodge, they held a ferocity that felt all too familiar, one that Itachi couldn’t put a finger on but he knew he hadn’t fought against in years.

Doing his best to draw out the two Akatsuki members Sasuke didn’t dodge several of the hits Itachi landed on him which sent him flying across the corridor. Slowly creeping up on his younger brother, Itachi grabbed Sasuke by the throat and lifted him up. With Kisame at a short distance behind him, if Itachi was going to have the chance to solidify Sasuke’s hatred it would be now. However, before he could finish whispering into his younger brother’s ear Itachi felt all the chakra he was emanating leave his body and enter Samehada. Dropping his younger brother Itachi forced himself to look at the feet of whoever seemed to be standing at the end of the corridor. 

“Kotoamatsukami.” 


	7. Chapter 7

_“Kotoamatsukami?” A young Itachi would mentally repeat to himself. The word just rolled off both his and Shisui’s tongue._

_“Yeah!” A younger Shisui singsonged as they walked through the woods. “It’s a new Genjutsu I’ve been working on. It lets control whoever I look at.” Shisui began snickering at Itachi’s shocked reaction. “Don’t worry! I can’t use it more than once in a while.”_   
_  
_ _“But still! Something so powerful_ —”

 _“_ _Could stop a war? That’s what it’s for!” Shisui stumbled to get in front of Itachi. “If I can’t stop a war, how can I keep you safe?”_

 _There came that softness in Itachi’s face that always brought a smile to Shisui. “Oh Shisui, you don’t have to_ _—”_

_“Yes I do!” Shisui stood stiff, almost looking down at the younger Uchiha. “The world can betray us but there’s one thing for certain… I won’t betray you.”_

\- 

Itachi felt himself shrink as the chakra in his muscles left him. Just over his shoulder was Samehada eating at his chakra leading to a serious looking Kisame. “Tell me, what are you doing Kisame?” Itachi’s voice was low and calm, hiding the utter fear that the scene was causing him. 

“I’m just getting rid of the traitors.” Kisame’s raspy voice rang in the shell of Itachi’s ear. It wasn’t hard for Itachi to realize his partner was under the effects of the genjutsu. Kisame made no move to attack though, as in his mind the only traitor in this room was himself.

“Kisame…” Itachi let out a sigh as he dropped Sasuke to the floor. But as Itachi slowly turned to his partner he saw himself face to face with something he had never planned for. _This man… An anbu? What has he done- what will he-._

Just as Itachi realized this, Kisame began summoning water to the room. “Kisame! What are you doing?!” Itachi took a sharp step backwards as the water began circling around his partner, trapping the fish man in his own Jutsu.

_I'm sorry Itachi, but even if the both of us are traitors... I'm the one who lost their humanity. And without my humanity, I'm nothing but a fish._

Two sharks manifested themselves inside of the water prison and began eating at the taller Akatsuki member. “Kisame!” Itachi attempted to reach his partner only for a sharp hand to stop him. 

“Oh no you don’t,” Itachi recognized this voice but attempted to pull away all the same. His sharingan darted from the blood pooling on the floor, his younger brother, Naruto and Jiraiya, anything to keep him from looking up. Before the tanto could hit him Itachi had disappeared into a flock of crows. “Itachi.” Shisui walked forward towards his _oh, so_ precious cousin. “Who gave you the right to use my moves in a fight?”

 __In a flash Shisui was now almost chest to chest with Itachi. Sasuke had always wished to see this. His brother taking a step back for every one Shisui took forward. No matter what Itachi wouldn’t look up at the inevitable truth. With Itachi’s back now pressed firmly against the wall Shisui took the change to grab his chin and force their eyes to meet

 _This has to be a distasteful joke. He’s supposed to be.._ “Kakashi? Kurenai? Either way it’s impressive to see either of you up and about after what I-” 

“No Itachi!” Shisui forced Itachi to stop any assumptions he had about who stood right in front of him. “Look me in the eyes!” Shisui’s curse mark began to burn red. “It’s me! It’s fucking me!” black symbols bloomed across his skin. The sweet memories of him and Itachi training together pounded into the hatred Shisui felt. The seal that Anko had put was breaking. 

Shisui lunged himself at Itachi, tanto in hand breaking from the sheer force he used when going for the love of his life. Itachi just barely managed to block the blade with a kunai. Never in his time in the Akatsuki had Itachi been faced with this amount of raw fear before. And watching as Shisui grabbed at the broken half with his teeth to try and stab at him, Itachi realized that this would not be a clean fight.

Itachi managed to escape the attack using his crow. This caught the eye of Jiraiya who had been shielding Naruto from this fight. _Wait, my informant… He would send me the information via Crow._ It clicked inside his mind, he needed to do something before his one link to the Akatsuki was murdered, 

Sasuke charged his brother once more, he knew that this would be his only chance at killing Itachi. Yet, as he got closer to his enemy he felt a sharp slash across his cheek. _Shisui… Shisui cut me._ “Stay out of this Sasuke!” Shisui’s sharingan burned the strongest he had ever seen. This look brought Sasuke back to when he was a child standing at the feet of his now dead parents.

The curse mark continued to spread the more hatred Shisui felt for his former lover. “Why..” Shisui growled as he used the body flicker to appear behind Itachi. “Just tell me why you lied to me, for all those years.” Shisui’s sharingan met Itachi’s once more. “I just wish… you hadn’t stopped loving me or Sasuke.” 

_I hadn’t stopped in the first place._ “Tsukuyomi!” Within an instant Itachi had captured Shisui within his own genjutsu. Itachi hoped that his plan could continue on, but Shisui’s very life threw a wrench in everything he had ever known. The eldest Uchiha began screaming as he watched every single on of his clan members get slaughtered by Itachi. 

_Their aunt had suffered a gruesome decapitation. Children had lost their lives just as perversely. For reasons like this is why Shisui had asked to not see the autopsies._

_If each of the bodies falling to the floor wasn’t enough they seemed to acknowledge Shisui was there. “Oh hello Shisui, how is your family doing?” Why didn’t I stop him. They would smile seconds before they were cut down. Why didn’t I stay? Even as they lay on the floor they would turn their heads and ask. “Oh Shisui… why did you leave us?” Why did I let them die?_

_It didn’t end there, Kakashi wouldn’t be near death from the encounter he had earlier with Itachi if Itachi had ended his genjutsu right there. The room faded into a blood red as he was taken back to the woods he and Itachi would spend time in. There, right in front of him, stood a 12 year old Itachi, much smaller than he remembered He knew better than to run to the boy though, but that didn’t matter, not when Itachi controlled this world._

_“Shisu-nii.” Itachi tilted his head cutely before stabbing the elder in the chest. “Did you enjoy the mission?” The blade twisted in his chest. It felt as if Shisui was drowning in his own blood. “I asked Danzo-sama to give you that mission himself.” A brief jovial smile spread across child Itachi’s face, something Shisui had never gotten out of him in reality. “I just didn’t want to see your face again.”_

_Now there were two of Itachi and this one continued with another stab to the heart. “You know, Danzo-sama wasn’t that hard to convince.” More and more Itachi clones began to appear, each of them giving their own physical and emotional stabs at Shisui. “He was a lot more easier to love than you.”_

_“You didn’t care about us enough to stay.”_

_“You didn’t protect us, but I guess you were right not to, I’d hate myself too if I were you.”_

  
_  
_“The kids cried out for you as they died, those fools thought you could actually beat me in a fight.”

_“You only won out of pity, I didn’t kill you myself because I didn’t want my anbu uniform to stain with your filthy blood.”_

_“Why are you crying?”_

_“Don’t cry, wasn’t it the truth you wanted?”_

_“Or can you not accept the fact-”_

_“That you weren’t my first.”_

_“You weren’t my last.”_

_“And that no matter what you did-”_

_“You-”_

_“Were-”_

_“Never-”_

_“Enough.”_

The screaming didn’t seem to stop for days even though it had only been seconds in their time. Behind Shisui Sasuke watched as his brother’s emotionless mask shifted for just a single second as Shisui finally fell to the ground. 

Sasuke didn’t know how to take this brief crack of emotion, but he did understand that something was wrong when from the ground Shisui began to lift himself back up. His body began to contort in ways that weren’t natural, that weren’t _human._ His skin now went from it’s normal pale color to a bright red, his eyes lost all their white in favor of a black with a permanent sharingan in the center. Shisui seemed bigger, sharper, deadlier. It paralyzed the two Uchiha brothers 

Out of pure instinct Itachi threw himself in front of Sasuke as a horned arm slammed into the elder of the brother’s stomach with enough force to draw blood. Sasuke meanwhile just stood there dumbfounded. _Why did he… No, it doesn’t add up._ Sasuke moved out of the way of the fight to join an equally confused Jiraiya. 

Shisui slammed his body into Itachi’s, enjoying the way his former lover cried out in pain as he was pressed into the wall. Placing a foot into Itachi’s back, Shisui pulled out his sword and aimed it into Itachi’s shoulder. “How does it feel to be like to feel worthless like this?!” The sharp blade pierced Itachi’s skin. Itachi let out only a wince before the sword kept twisting in its place. “You were nothing without me.” 

A flock of crows lead to a heavy foot landing on Shisui’s side. “I let you believe that.” _Because it’s true._ Itachi took another hard blow to his ribs, he’s certain he heard and felt a crack. He let himself fly to the other side of the room. “Firestyle: Fireball jutsu!” Itachi set part of the room ablaze, he knew that Shisui could just as easily dodge it but he needed to get out of the room as soon as possible. His secret wasn’t safe as long as Shisui was close. 

When the smoke finally cLeared Itachi and Shisui stood eye to eye, both of them so still yet reading for the next attack. “Even now, you can’t see through the illusion you’ve made of me.” Itachi managed to block a kick to the side of his head before gripping Shisui and throwing him over his shoulder onto the ground. “Your genjutsu might have been superior in the past, but now you’re just betraying yourself.” 

“Betray— you bastard!” Shisui thrusts his clawed hand forward, “You never knew the first thing about loyalty.” The slash was meant to steal Itachi’s life, but a wall of soft flesh got in between the two.

 _If he’s my informant then my only tie to the Akatsuki will be lost the second he dies. And if that happens the entire leaf village would be left vulnerable._ Jiraiya felt his dark eyes trail both battling Uchiha. He was going to confront Itachi after the fight but Jiraiya had to react quick. Before the claw could hit Itachi Jiraiya’s toad had taken form between the two. With little chakra left Itachi used Amaterasu to escape.

Shisui turned around to protest but the sudden lack of movement brought a wave of exhaustion across his worn features. Within seconds Shisui collapsed to the floor and Sasuke runs to his side. 

“You two, stay here and get him some help.” Jiraiya placed his scroll on his back once more. “ I’ll make sure he doesn’t get away. “ With a leap Jiraiya chased Itachi through the burning hole in the wall.

“Sasuke! Shisui!” Naruto called out. “What the hell was that!?”

“That was my brother you idiot!” There was a stirring mix of emotions inside of Sasuke. He did his best to heal Shisui’s wounds with the ointment they had. “It’s a long story, one that we both need answers to. _Something was just wrong._ Naruto had already went to grab some medical ninja, leaving Sasuke alone to process what had happened.

_But… If he really wanted to kill me, then why did he try to protect me?_


End file.
